Subway rides are relatively cheap because they can accommodate and move almost unlimited crowds of people to their destinations. Could airlines do the same thing?
Yes, airlines already are adept at moving herds of people in and out like cattle, but is is now being reported that Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ireland-based Ryanair, is proposing taking things a step further. His idea is to add standing areas on his fleet of 250 jets with “vertical seats.”
The suggested cost for a one-hour flight in the standing area would be £5, or about $7.58 in US dollars. About 10 rows of seats would be taken out of the backs of planes to accommodate the new standing areas.
Also, part of O’Leary’s plans include pay toilets onboard the aircraft, charging £1 (or $1.52) per visit. O’Leary reasons that this would encourage passengers on shorter hops to use the airport facilities.
The vertical-seat plan is being evaluated by safety officials, who could put the kibosh on such a plan due to regulations that passengers must be seated with a seat belt during take-offs, landings, and turbulence. And, hopefully, the pay toilets will take credit cards.
